Wormy

Man that thing is super clean... Nice boat and graphs I might add...

Just wondered if anyone has been successful in finding the titanium R bent wire forms for spinnerbaits. I haven't looked really all that hard but thought someone here might know right where to go. Appreciate any assistance...

Go to www.barlowstackle.com and order you a catalog. I'm considering making some of my favorites but lack the experience as well. Their catalog is awesome, just got mine in the mail a couple of days ago and of course as any guy does, I have already looked all the ink off the pages. One thing I haven't found yet is affordable wood or plastic bodies for crank baits...

Wait till they get older. My daughter will be 13 this September and she is already trying to take over the front of the boat. She is a very competitive angler when it comes to just the two of us. I think the most import thing is to have a good time. That is OUR time together and a lot of kids don't get that type of attention.

That's what I have been wanting to hear from someone who has purchased one of Dell's kits. I was trying to decide on which mold to get myself and was going for the Stick mold and needed another opinion. Thanks...

Hey LBH, I picked some of these up at the "NEW" Gander Mountain here in Little Rock the other day and they are fairly thin. I know for a fact they are thinner than the horny toad... I did a google on them and I'm attaching a link... http://www.tackletour.com/reviewsizmictoad.html

I would like to thank Glenn, Chris, Roadwarrior and LowBudgetHooker for all their contributions. I read a lot more than I post here and almost all of their advice is good solid recommendations that I try to use when I go fishing and want to try something new. For goodness sakes, if it weren't for these guys, I would have never known how to fish a fluke and man does that thing work... Kudos to all of you who are willing to share your experiences and techniques.

I have noticed this year that places I would usually catch a lot of fish on a tube has not been producing but rather these fish are biting creature baits. I have seen other popular lures lose there edge over the years becuase so many people fish them, just wondering if any of you have ever experienced this?

Texposing is an awesome way of rigging a tube. Occasionally I do rig mine with the hook totally exposed but only in really open water. Good luck...

With that kind of money you could possibly afford a nice 16' jon boat and rig it yourself. I am fortunate to have companies like War Eagle, SeaArk, Waco, Weldcraft, Xpress, etc... right here at my back door and you can probably find a builder closer to you if you look. My point is most of them will put a front casting deck on it for you at a minimal cost. Still, you could rig it yourself for a little of nothing...

We are very close here in Arkansas...

I think palomar will win this as far as good all around fishing knot... Try what Zone_V recommended too. You can test all your knots this way...

flippnfish is right on the money. Most of the time you can pick up a couple of extra fish by working your way into the cover itself. You can also work your way down if your in fairly deep water. Some fish may be suspended while others may be towards the bottom. I will usually start by hitting the outside edges with a spinnerbait or shallow crankbait and then work my way towards the bottom with a worm or tube...

I am doing all the things you are saying except for the longer hesistation on the strike and not using the right size hook like a 4/0 EWG. I can already see that this is going to catch me a lot of fish over the next month or so during the spawn, especially in the type cover I fish. I am already liking what I am seeing, I just got frustrated when I didn't get the hookset and put it down knowing I was doing something wrong. THAT"S why I called you guys to the rescue. I will be sure and take a camera with me next time to show you some of these good old Arkansas bucketmouths... Thanks guys, REALLY... I can see the potential this lure has and having never really fished one before now, I'm looking forward to my next outing...

Excellent ideas guys, Thanks... I really thought that I was waiting long enough but maybe I wasn't. It is hard to see your line moving and not pull. And yes I had the hook texposed like you mentioned playmaker47. Unfortunately RW, the size fish that was striking and the type cover I was in, 6 lb test line would be a poor choice. Now if I were on totally open water, I would agree 100%. Additionally, I think you all nailed it, I am not hesitating enough and that a more limber rod and larger hook will help. Thanks guys...

Ok guys and gals, I have been using some of the new techniques I have read you all talking about and need some help. This past Saturday I decided to throw a Fluke. I rigged it weightless just like everyone says to with a ball bearing swivel about 10-12 inches up from the hook. I missed a total of 4 fish before got mad and put it away. I would feel the fish pull and when I set the hook, it pulled right out of their mouth. Whats up with that? For the hook I was using a 2/0 EWG Gamakatsu hook. Is this big enough for them to be able to pinch the lure down and expose the tip? I would really appreciate some advice on this.

I think he has introduced a new look and attitude to the sport that was bound to happen anyway. The guy knows his fishing and I hand it to him for that. I admire anyone who starts out with nothing and works there way to the top.

G3 HP170 with F115 4 stroke Yamaha / 55 easy with ss prop

05' HP170 F115 Yamaha Garmin 250 (front and console) MK Maxxum 80 tm

I have always been drawn to shallow water like 3-5 foot deep and I want to figure out how to catch fish in the 15-25 foot range. That is where most of the fish are right now according to my graphs and the wind was really bad this weekend so I couldn't ever get a shot at them. I will this next weekend though.

Lake Pickthorne in Jacksonville, AR. Middle of summer with nothing on but a pair of cut off shorts. I was fishing in the middle of a stump field full of Florida strain and just hammering them with my Culprit Tequila Sunrise worm. Had two old guys about 40 yards from me wearing out the monstrous improved bream that's in the lake when a big old bass nailed my worm and wrapped around an underwater limb. Being that I was standing on the very front edge of a 14' Quachita with a casting deck on front, hind sight tells me that putting the hand controled trolling motor on high to reach the fish without paying attention to other underwater obstacles wasn't such a good idea. I got slungshot off the front and made a dive the olympians would have been proud of. I was only in about 3 feet of water and don't think my foot ever touched the ground. With rod in hand I drug myself back into the boat to only get a standing ovation from the two old guys that witnessed the whole thing. I even went as far as to give a bow for my performance as I laughed with them. Unfortunately their laughter turned to dropped jaws when I finally got to the 7 lb 4 oz bucketmouth that was still hung on the limb. I thought it was worth getting wet as I let her back in the water and those two old guys were yelling that they wanted to keep her.

Yes and they are nice.

bassin4life beat me to it, I caught a muskogee duck one day by the back of the leg with a spinner bait. All I can tell you is the fight was on!!! I was in my boat and that thing as I reeled it in, flying I might add, it nearly beat me and my buddy to death. Finally snagged him in my dipnet and cut the end of the hook off and let him go. We got applause from the other boats around us. Sad thing they all had wet spots in their pants where they had peed theirselves laughing at me. It was funny I guess...

I think you will do just fine fishing a worm from the bank. You will need to rig it weedless though like on a Texas rig. A plastic worm IS my confidence bait and once you get the hang of what a bite feels like you will be set. I always keep my line tight and rarely give slack line. I caught my biggest bass to date standing in about 2 1/2 foot of water after a 3 day rain spell and she looks pretty hanging on my wall. I would shy away from crankbaits and other diving baits though, you will get hung up from time to time and may not have a way to retrieve it and that could get costly. Next time you go to Wal-Mart, pick up a package of 6" Culprit worms in Tequila Shad. I have caught more fish on this color than all of the other colors combined. Good luck...

Excellent tip Roadwarrior. I will have to try some of the Ikas next outing. As for me, I have a select number of lakes that I really try to study. And as you already know Skeeter6598, the larger fish usually aren't far from deeper water. Now depending on the lake in reference, deep water may be 10-15 ft when the overall lake is 20-30 max. I have caught some really nice fish close to areas I have picked up on with maps and its my opinion that is where I would start if I were only after a BIG fish. Bites will more than likely be slow too so having patience is the key. Good luck on your next tournament and find you some maps of your favorite spots then go and graph them with your ff. This can really tell you a lot.